Shoe with cushion foundation



May 31, 1960 G. HELMERS 2,938,284

sHOx-I WITH CUSHION FOUNDATION Filed Feb. e, 1958 Egg;

SHOE CUSHION FOUNDATION Gert Helmers, Hankhausen, Post Rastede, Germany, as-

signor to The Scholl Mfg. Co., Inc., Chicago, lll., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 6, 1958, Ser. No. 713,721

1 Claim. (Cl. 36-71) This invention relates to improvements in a shoe with a cushion foundation, and more particularly to a shoe provided with a resilient foundation designed not only to properly support the lfoot and the weight o f the body thereupon to prevent fatigue in walking or standing, but which is also designed to maintain the foot back in the heel of the shoe in prop er position, in the case of a highheeled shoe, in a natural manner, although the invention may have other uses and purposes as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

' While the invention is especially desirable for use in ladies footwear, it is obvious that it may also be sized properly and used in mens footwear, as well. For purposes of clarity, however, it will be herein described as associated with a ladys high-heeled shoe.

Most ladies shoes, and particularly those in the higher style classes, are high heeled with relatively thin soles and insoles, and with no means of supporting the foot properly within the shoe. As a consequence, especially during walking or standing lfor a long period of time, the foot tends to slide forwardly in the shoe, jamming the toes in an uncomfortable manner, and causing a distinctly unstable condition in that the body weight is not supported upon the normal three bearing points of the foot, nor is the foot supported in some instances on the proper parts of the shoe. At the same time, most womens shoes and particularly those in the style class, afforded no cushioning effect to the foot whatever, and usually style class shoes are built in such a manner as to produce fatigue when a person is standing or walking for a length of time.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an important object of the instant invention to provide a foundation ofresilient material which may be built inside of a high-heeled shoe, as a part of the shoe, and which is both economical and invisible.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a resilient foundation Ifor incorporation in a high-heeled shoe, which foundation is so shaped as to maintain the foot in proper position within the shoe at all times, and restrain the foot from sliding forward in the shoe and assuming an uncomfortable position.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a resilient foundation, particularly desirable for incorporation in a high-heeled shoe, and which foundation is so constructed -as to hold the foot back toward the heel of the shoe in its proper position, and at -the same time provide ample toe room within the shoe.

Still another object of the instant invention resides in the provision of a resilient foundation shaped to intimately conform to the plantar surface of the foot between the rear of the heel and the metatarsal arch, and varying in thickness so as to support the body weight with comfort to 'the user, in a manner eliminating fatigue of walking or standing.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a resilient foundation or insert for disposition beneath the nish States Patent- Ov 2,938,284 Patented May 3l, 1960 insole of a shoe, and which is so shaped as to cushion the foot when standing or walking, and at the same time hold the foot in its natural, proper and intended position within a shoe, and particularly a high-heeled shoe.

A further feature of the instant invention resides in the provision of a resilient foundation that may be molded from foam material and which is extremely light in weight, takes up little space, and may be easily and effectively mounted in a shoe to properly support and cushion the foot.

Another desideratum of this invention is the provision of a Ifoundation to be built into a shoe which gives cushionng support to the tarsus, the cuboid area, to the outer and inner longitudinal arch areas without raising the rst metatarsal shaft, and to the anterior or metatarsal arch of the foot.

Still another feature of the instant invention resides in the provision of a cushioning foundation for incorporation in a shoe, and particularly a high-heeled shoe, which foundation is made of resilient material and which varies in thickness both longitudinally and laterally thereof throughout substantially its entire extent to provide a concave heel seat, extremely thin under the os calcis of the foot, with a thickened marginal portion extending entirely around the heel and decreasing in thickness inwardly. in front of the heel seat, and with a pronounced thickened portion to underlie the metatarsal arch of the foot, whereby the foundation not only properly supports the foot but also maintains it in proper position within theshoe While some of the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from. the following disclosures, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which I Fig. 1 is a central vertical sectional view through a shoe equipped with a foundation embodying improvements of the instant invention, the shoe being shown somewhat diagrammatically;

Fig. 2 is a vfragmentary transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line II-ll of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line III-lll of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the finished insole of the shoe and the foundation only, taken subs tantially in the location indicated by the section line IV--IV of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the heel portion of the shoe with the foundation, as indicated by the line V-V of Fig. l. p Y

As shown on the drawings:

The illustrated embodiment of the instant invention is shown associated with a shoe somewhat diagrammatically illustrated, and comprising an outer sole 1, an insole 2, an upper 3 having its margins secured between the outer and inner soles; and a heel 4. In this instance, the illustrated shoe is a ladys somewhat medium high-heeled shoe, and it will be understood that the invention is equally as effec-` tive, and perhaps more necessary, in a shoe having an extremely high heel. l

Inside the shoe is the usual foot contacting s ockvlining 5Y which is most frequently a sheet of s oft pliant leather. As illustrated, the sock lining may be made in two poritions, namely the upper portion and a lower laminationv 6 of paper or the like which effects a bettercementitious bond with the insole 2, although if so desired, the paper. lamination may be omitted. i v

The instant invention centers itself in a foundationi y which may be molded from foam latex, or fromE vlalieniig cai foam material of resilient character. The molding of the foundation in a single piece is an economical expedient, and the use of foam material provides a highly v afford ample cushioning effect.V This element is prefer-v abiy cemented or otherwise secured to the underside of the sock lining 5, and in turn cemented or equivalently secured to the insole 2 of the shoe, along with the sock lining 5. As seen best in Fig. l, it will be noted that the foundation element extends from ythe rear of the shoe, namely the `rear of the heel of the user, up to a point beneath 'the metatarsal arch of the foot, and the sock lining 5 projects well forward of the element, to the extremity of the shoe, and thus there is ample toe room provided Within the article of foot-wear. In fact, there is as much toe room remaining in the shoe as would be the case if the foundation element were not present. Furthermore, by having the sock lining permanently secured to the insole beyond the forward edge extremity of the foundation, the foundation is positively held against shifting and most particularly against shifting forwardly as it might otherwise tend to do in view of forward pressures applied thereagainst by the wearers foot.

' The foundation element is contoured; that is, provided with an outline in keeping with the outline of the plantar surface of a normal foot and with the outline of the base insole- At the same time, the device varies in thickness transversely and longitudinally substantially throughout the whole structure. This provides a structure capable of uniformly and substantially intimately fitting the plantar surface of the normal foot and thus lending cushioning support not only to the plantar surface as a whole and to the general bearing ypoints of .the foot, but also to the eshy parts adjacent to and between the bearing points of the -foot so that the entire foot from the rear of the heel to the metatarsal arch is not only adequately cushioned, but also supported, and in that manner considerable fatigue is eliminated.

The instant invention also stabilizes the foot by virtue of its variations in thickness and shaping. As seen in Figs. l and 5, the structure is perhaps -thinnest in that portion 7 which comes directly beneath the os calois of the foot; The showing inthese figures is slightly exaggerated, in order to illustrate the device in the drawings. Around that thin Ipoint 7, the device is thickened to provide a bounding rib or flange S which extends around the rear of the heel and along both sides of the heel seat so `formed in the device. The rib is defined to some extent in the form of a V-shaped -rib with the apex downwardly -to provide an angle adjacent the upper of the shoe so that the device will snugly nest Within `the shoe.

As seen in seen Figs. 3 and 5 the lower angular edge of the rib 8 preferably rests directly on the edge of the insole 2. A mold is made for each insole pattern from which to mold the respective foundation. This rib 8 also extends upwardly on its outer side to yterminate in a relatively fine edge adjacent the edge of the sock lining 5. As seen best in Fig. 5, vthe rib 8 Itapers `inwardly fromboth sides, gradually decreasing in thickness inwardly toward the thin spot 7. Now with reference to Fig. 4, it will be noted that the inward taper from the .rib 8 on each side of the device is less so that there is a definite and higher elevation in vfront of the heel seat, whereby a concave heel scat is adequately defined in the foundation itself with the os calcis of the foot `disposed directly over the thinnest portion of the heel seat.

As seen in Fig. 4, the rib 8 is thicker on the inside or under the inner longitudinal arch of .the foot than it is on the outside or under the outer longitudinal arch of the foot, but both portions are of sutcient thickness to lend*V proper support and cushioning effect to the entire vice.

longitudinal arch of the foot. It may be mentioned that in the illustration, a shoe and device for the right foot of the user is illustrated. Obviously, a shoe and device for the left foot would be allochiral to that shown.

Preferably, the rib or flange-like formation 8 extends farther forwardly under the inner longitudinal arch of the foot than it does alongV the outer margin of the de- On the inner side of the structure, this ridge continues vto gradually decrease in thickness toward a point just to the right of the longitudinal median line of the device, and forwardly it merges into a pronounced lift or i th-ickened portion 9 which underlies the metatarsal arch of resting upon the device, the heel will be seated in the concave heel seat of the device and held there by the Vadded block just in front of the heel, and the metatarsal lift 9 will be located in such position as yto support the metatarsal arch and at the same time prevent the foot from sliding forwardly. Thus, with `the aid of the metatarsal arch lift and the concave heel seat, the foot is maintained in proper position at the rear of the shoe and does not slide forward and crowd the toes, as was the case with most high-heeled shoes known heretofore.

During the manufacture of a shoe, it is a simple expedient to secure a foundation of the character of the instant invention beneath the sock lining of the shoe and make it an integral part o-f the shoe structure. The cost is at a minimum by virtue of the economical character of the device andthe fact that little labor is involved in including thedevice in lthe shoe structure. Yet, the device not only cushions and adequately supports the foot, but maintains ythe foot in proper position within the shoe, and at the same time stabilizes the foot yrendering walking easier, fatigue being eliminated, and adequate toe room is available at all times. Thus, while the device is simple in construction nevertheless it performs several important functions, and its presence within a shoe can only be detected by virtue o-f the added comfort given the user.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may'be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

ln a shoe including an outer sole carrying a 4heel and thinnest under the os calcis and having a thickened ange portion around the heel part and fitting within fthe heel portion of the shoe upper, said thickened flange portion extending' beneath the longitudinal arch of the foot onboth sides and `following the upper at such sides but gradually decreasing in thickness toward the forward end of the foundation and at the inner side of the founda` tion merging into the metatarsal arch-underlying portion ofA the foundation, said metatarsal arctbunderlying portion of the Ifoundation being of a pronounced elevation and tapering toward each side, with the side margins of the foundation alongside the metatarsal elevation running. to a substantially feather edge at the inner side vand atV the forward extremity of the foundation, the foundation being permanently secured to the -insole of the shoe, and

' the sock lining being permanently secured to the top of s aid foundation and conformed to the upper surface contours thereof and at its edges conforming to the shoe upper and extending forwardly throughout the forward portion of the shoe including the `toe portion and permanently secured .to the insole beyond the forward feather edge extremity of the foundation, whereby the foundation is axed as a permanent part ofthe `shoe and is positively held against any shifting relative 4to the insole and the sock lining.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Saperston July 10, 1928 McNi Sept. 3, 1929 Riley Nov. 17, 19311 Greenberg July 16, 1935 Scholl Feb. 12, 1952 

